Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a receiving device for stackable containers, in particular for drinking cups of plastic, consisting of parallel receiver tubes which communicate with the openings of an end plate and whose cross sectional area is slightly larger than the largest cross sectional area of the stackable containers and which are connected to a unit which is insertable into a garbage container.
Used drinking cups of plastic are usually thrown into a garbage container, such as a garbage can or a garbage bag, which is clamped to a garbage bag stand. The cups thus thrown occupy a large storage volume, which adversely affects collection and transport. Also, fluids which remain in the cups are left to ooze out of the cups.
A collection device for stackable plastic cups is already known from German petty patent G 90 00 735.2. The collection device with at least one opening must be attached to a stationary carrier, preferably to a wall. It is thereby important that the opening width in the collection device is smaller than the diameter of the cup at its upper rim and larger than the bottom of the cup. Accordingly, the cups to be disposed of are stacked in the collection device and the stacks are then manually removed from the collection device once they reach a corresponding height.
That collection device is respectively provided for only a certain shape and size of a cup. Also, stackability is relatively limited, so that a manual removal of the stacked, dirty cups is often necessary.
Furthermore, GB-PS 15 35 922 describes a device for receiving used plastic or paper cups, wherein tubes for stackingly receiving cups which extend into the container are connected to openings provided in a container lid. A similar device is also known from FR-PS 23 15 457 where the receiver tubes can be replaced with vertically oriented rods.
Disadvantageous in these known devices are the unstable mounting of the receiver tubes at the container lid and the substantial amount of material required due to the usage of tubes. The configuration of the receiver chutes with vertical rods does not allow for the exact guidance of the falling cups and, particularly, a stable disposition of the receiver chutes is not possible.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a receiving device for stackable containers, particularly for plastic drinking cups, which overcomes the hereinaforementioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and which can hold a plurality of receiver tubes and which saves material and is light. A further object is to provide a stable, compact unit which assures good guidance in the receiver tubes for the stackable containers.